Asides

Clear the way mama because here they come! From the moment you give birth to that precious baby the race begins their first diaper change, their first smile, and their first roll; then it begins the signs of independence. Every racing month your baby is growing and you are eagerly looking forward to the next milestone to catch every moment on camera. Yes mamas it goes by so fast it feels like you are always trying to catch up. One of these milestones is when your baby is ready to crawl. The pediatrician will most likely advise you to get your house ready when you see signs like the baby pulling their weight with their arms because they have not developed the muscles on the lower body. Some will do a traditional cross crawling, some will scoot, and some will roll; it is different for every baby so take a breath and enjoy the uniqueness of your child. According to zerotothree.org here are a few different ways babies learn to move:

The “I’ll Have the Usual”: This is the classic crawl—alternating hand on one side and knee on the other to go, go, go.

The “Crab”—Just like at the beach, the “crab” bends one knee and extends the opposite leg to scoot forward.

The “Commando”—Look out, this crawler lies flat on her belly and drags herself forward using her arms.

The “Rolling Wonder”—Who needs to crawl when rolling gets me where I need to go?

The “Take It in Stride” Kid—Some children skip crawling and go right to walking. No time to waste—here I come!

There’s no right or wrong way to crawl. As long as a baby is making progress in his ability to use his body to get around, that’s what is important.

Keep in mind that now the floor becomes the baby’s world: be prepared! Some of the ways to prepare are by making sure the way is clear and safe for your baby: removing cords, small objects, covering outlets, investing in a good baby gate and padding are great ways to help your baby. Chances are you can’t put foam padding all over your floor, investing in padded pants or rompers are great ways of keeping your child safe. Now back to the racing, on your marks get set go!!!! My advice is to not worry about the countless amount of chores you have to do on a daily basis, just lay on the floor to enjoy this season with your baby because as the saying goes “time flies when you are having fun”. Until next time…